Colorado Avalanche 2025-26 Player Grades: Nazem Kadri

The Colorado Avalanche have quite a bit to figure out after one of their worst playoff losses ever. In what was expected to be one of the best season in Avalanche history, the team fell short in spectacular fashion in the Western Conference Final.

Now, it’s time to look back at how each player did this past season and hand out some grades. Next up in the series is a familiar face who went to a new place before returning once again: Nazem Kadri.

Production

It’s hard to really talk about Kadri’s production relative to the Avalanche since he only played in 16 regular season games since being acquired in a trade. He had four goals and nine points in that span, not bad given his place in an already congested lineup.

For the season, Kadri had a down year. His 16 goals were more than half what he scored last season and his 50 points are the fewest since the lats COVID-19-shortened season in 2020-21.

In the playoffs, Kadri acquitted himself well with nine points in 13 games. He was one of the few middle-six forwards to produce against the Golden Knights, chipping in a goal and two assists in the four-game sweep.

Intangibles

Kadri was the unicorn the Avalanche were missing until they acquired Brock Nelson in a deadline trade last season – a true second-line center. With Nelson in the fold, Kadri brought that same physical, hard-nosed style to the Avalanche once again but this time largely as a winger.

His skills have declined a bit in recent years, but how many 35-year-old players can say theirs haven’t? He’s not going to be a top-flight scorer anymore – though his 87-point season in 2021-22 still remains an anomaly – but he should be a very good middle-six winger that can play at both ends of the ice.

Overall Grade: B+

Think of this as a prorated grade. The Avalanche have other needs to address but they can count on having one of the best and deepest forward groups again next season with Kadri in the fold full-time.

He did what was asked since coming back to Denver and has the potential to be more if they need him to be. At 35, you have to wonder how many more high-end years he has left and the steep decline is concerning but can be somewhat excused away by being on an awful Calgary Flames team.

Run it Back

The Avalanche have a lot to figure out when it comes to their cap, and they will likely be thin at the bottom of the lineup. They may be more dependent on Kadri in the coming season to shoulder more minutes and in tougher situations as well.

There is no reason the Avalanche won’t be contenders once again in 2026-27. What that means for an aging core and Kadri remains to be seen. Perhaps playing with better linemates for an entire season can see him go back into the 65-70-point range once again.